Only 2 noise-cancelling headphones have been certified by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology A? The full detection list is coming
On January 13, "only 2 noise-canceling headphones have been certified by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology A" on Weibo hot search, and the content also mentioned: According to CCTV, nearly 50% of the noise-canceling headphones are insufficient. After the hot search fermentation, the number of reads exceeded 120 million. Netizens are more concerned about: which noise-canceling headphone brands participated in this test? Have brands with a large user base in noise-cancelling headphones been detected? Are the noise-cancelling headphones you buy "pseudo-noise reduction"?
However, according to the official website of the National Industrial Information Security Development Research Center, after evaluation, Stroller TWS NB2, Wanderer NeoBuds Pro, OPPO Enco Free2i, OnePlus Buds Pro a total of 4 products have obtained the smart noise reduction headset product user scenario ANC comprehensive noise reduction A-level evaluation certificate, not the "only 2 models" mentioned in the hot search.
After reviewing the relevant information, the Southern + reporter dug up a complete test list, on this list, there are a total of 12 TWS headphone products, all of which are mainstream brands in the market. It is worth noting that the report mentions in the description of sample selection: "This time focuses on domestic brands, market share, technical strength and other aspects". Therefore, the 4 models that have obtained the A-level evaluation certificate are all domestic brands.
Information on 12 noise-cancelling headphones that entered the review
TWS headphones are generally equipped with active noise cancellation
At the China Intelligent Voice Industry Development Summit Forum held on December 18, 2021, Liu Yongdong, deputy director of the Institute of Artificial Intelligence, released the "Intelligent Noise Reduction Headset and Call Noise Reduction Headset Multi-scene Performance Evaluation Research Report". The report was issued by the National Industrial Information Security Development Research Center and the National Speech and Image Recognition Product Quality Inspection and Testing Center (hereinafter referred to as the "AI National Inspection Center").
The report pointed out that in recent years, TWS headphones (true wireless stereo headphones) have ushered in good market prospects, and the market penetration rate of TWS headphones has increased rapidly. According to a research report released by the StrategyAnalytics Emerging Terminal Technology (EDT) team, the total sales of Bluetooth headsets worldwide will exceed 300 million units in 2020. Among them, the sales of true wireless stereo (TWS) Bluetooth headphones increased by nearly 90%.
The newly released TWS headphones are generally equipped with active noise reduction functions, but it is difficult for users to evaluate the real noise reduction performance of the product, and even some manufacturers use the publicity method of "partial generalization" to only announce a single indicator of the maximum noise reduction depth.
The report also pointed out that some manufacturers drive sales through low-priced products such as non-intelligent (excluding active noise reduction, call noise reduction and other functions), and drive their active noise reduction and other products through the way of "market share".
Multi-scenario evaluation of 12 mainstream TWS headphones
The report selects 12 TWS headphone products of mainstream brands in the market, and evaluates the comprehensive performance of active noise reduction for headphones under simulating multiple typical user scenarios, including: high-speed rail car, high-speed rail waiting hall, aircraft economy class, intersection, subway car, café, shopping mall and other seven major scenarios, as well as the performance performance under random multi-scene switching. The specific assessment results are as follows:
Headphone Active Noise Cancellation Performance Score: Noise reduction area
Headphone Active Noise Cancellation Performance Score: Average Depth
Headphone Active Noise Cancellation Performance Score: Comprehensive Performance
The report also proposes a system of evaluation indicators for the environmental noise reduction ability of headset products. The most obvious difference between ENC and ANC is that the beneficiary of ANC is the user himself, through the function of ANC, the user can be protected from environmental noise interference; the beneficiary of ENC is the other party of the call, through ENC to reduce the impact of environmental noise on the call, so that the other party can hear pure voice. In addition to calls, watching TV/movies/videos also belongs to the ENC noise reduction scene.
The report recommends that headphone manufacturers strengthen the implementation of existing national standards, accelerate the revision of standard specifications in real application scenarios, verify technological innovation in application scenarios, test the stability of intelligent voice products in scenarios such as long-term, high load, and complex noise, focus on internal supervision of technology and quality of the whole life cycle of products, adhere to quality to win, and promote the high-quality development of China's intelligent voice industry.
Screenshot of the evaluation call, source: National Industrial Information Security Development Research Center website
Level A certificates are for self-declaration only
It can be seen from the "Notice on Carrying out Intelligent Noise Reduction Headset Product Scene Evaluation Activities" initiated by the National Industrial Information Security Development Research Center that this round of evaluation and solicitation launched in November 2021 requires enterprises to self-declare according to the main business products.
The report after the evaluation covers 12 noise-canceling headphone products, and the report also clarifies the focus on domestic brands in the description of sample selection, therefore, the 4 products that have obtained the A-level evaluation certificate are based on "self-declaration" and "domestic brands", which does not mean that other noise-canceling headphone products must not meet the A-level evaluation standards; in fact, the 12 products that enter the evaluation range have very detailed performance scores. The statement that "only 2 noise-cancelling headphones have obtained the A-level certification of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology" is somewhat misleading to consumers.
[Reporter] Xu Lei, Xu Jun, Yao Chong
【Video】Xu Lei
【Author】 Xu Lei; Xu Jun; Yao Chong
【Source】 Southern Press Media Group South + client